LA MIRADA, Calif. – Vanguard split Golden State Athletic Conference games at Biola on Saturday afternoon, bouncing back to take the nightcap in eight innings 4-3 after sustaining a 17-2 loss in the opener. Senior Jordan Mould (Stockton, Calif.) went three-for-three in game two, while junior Ian Sakry (Long Beach, Calif.) led the Lions with two hits in the first contest.
GAME ONE
Junior Jack Daru (Bradenton, Fla.) hit his first homerun of the year for Vanguard in game one of its doubleheader with Biola but the Eagles managed 17 runs on 14 hits to claim the opener 17-2.
The Lions' runs came in the seventh and ninth innings after going down 17-0 in the fifth. Sakry picked up VU's first RBI with a single through the right side and Daru hit his bomb to left center on a full count in the final inning.
Six players pitched for the Blue and Gold in the contest. Senior Scott Simmons (Murrieta, Calif.) (5-1) got the start and suffered his first loss of the season. He threw two innings, walked four and allowed six runs off of eight hits.
Biola's Nick Turner earned the big win and moves to 4-2 overall.
Sakry was the lone Lions' player to register a multi-hit game. He went two-for-three with an RBI and a walk.
GAME TWO
Senior Kevin Ponzo (San Dimas, Calif.) tossed just two innings in the nightcap, but they earned him a win, as VU defeated Biola 4-3 in an extra inning to garner the GSAC series' advantage (2-1).
The Lions held a 3-0 edge going into the bottom of the sixth. The Eagles posted a run in the sixth and tied the contest at 3-all in the seventh, but Vanguard kept its composure and pulled through in the clutch offensively and defensively to claim the victory.
With two outs on the board in the eighth, junior Thomas Mobley (Anaheim, Calif.) singled to short. Senior Bryce Arroyo (Brea, Calif.) was next at the plate and put a ball up the middle for a base knock of his own. Mould walked to load the bases and senior Ellis Whitman (Seattle, Wash.) tallied an RBI on a fielder's choice to put VU up 4-3.
Vanguard returns to the VU Baseball Field on Wednesday, March 6th at 2:00pm to host Ashford University.
-GOLDPRIDE-
